Reel Affirmations 2007

YAWN. SELF-IMPORTANT people taking themselves too seriously — in Washington, D.C. Go into any overpriced restaurant, sit at the bar, and eavesdrop. You’ll get just as much out of it as you will from sitting through Paul Schrader’s new film. And you won’t have to deal with Woody Harrelson’s accent.

From the man who wrote Taxi Driver and directed American Gigolo comes a story of Washington intrigue (though that implies it’s interesting) and scandalous affairs. At the heart of the film lies Carter Page III (Harrelson), who spends most of his time ”walking” rich, married women from function to function. Affecting an accent that can only be described as Southern homosexual, Harrelson is some odd lovechild of Truman Capote and Burt Reynolds.

When Carter’s friend Lynn (Kristin Scott Thomas), wife of the minority leader, discovers the body of her lover — a lobbyist — Carter takes responsibility for the discovery in the hope of avoiding a scandal. Carter’s act of chivalry is met with suspicion and accusations, and over the weekly canasta game Carter learns that he might be a pawn in a larger game.

The only people taking themselves more seriously than the characters are the ones making the film. Lots of deep, meaningful conversations with slow, deliberate stares move the plot forward at glacial speed. Even with a great cast — Harrelson, Thomas, Lily Tomlin, Lauren Bacall — The Walker is a drag.

The Walker is going to incite people to sleepwalk — right out of the theater. — TP